8.11.2022

you don't see how I yearn to shimmer

Zunis make shrines on the way to a lake where I emerge    and 
Miwoks gather me out of pools along the Pacific    the cheetah 
thirsts for me    and when you sprinkle me on rib eye you have 
no idea how I balance silence with thunder in crystal    you 
dream of butterfly hunting in Madagascar    spelunking through 
caves echoing with dripping stalactites    and you don't see how 
I yearn to shimmer an orange aurora against flame    look at 
me in your hand    in Egypt I scrubbed the bodies of kings and 
queens    in Pakistan I zigzag upward through twenty-six miles 
of tunnels before drawing my first breath in sunlight    if you 
heat a kiln to 2380 degrees and scatter me inside    I vaporize 
and bond with clay    in this unseen moment a potter prays 
because my pattern is out of his hands    and when I touch your 
lips    you salivate    and when I dissolve on your tongue    your 
hair rises    ozone unlocks    a single stroke of lightning sizzles 
to earth. 
 
[Arthur Sze {1950- } 'Salt Song', from Sight Lines]

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